


the lover series

by onlyher



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Post-Finale, but a dash of angst to level it out, like so much fluff you might explode, lotta time jumps will be featured throughout, this is my take on life after the battle in 3x10
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:48:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22366654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyher/pseuds/onlyher
Summary: i've been itching to write my take on the future of gertchase (and the rest of the runaways) after the s3 finale since december and this fic is the result of all that time spent thinking.this fic (so far) will consist of five parts, each diving into different phases of gert, chase and co's lives. every part is named after a song title from taylor swift's "lover" album, hence why the title of this overall fic is "the lover series."i hope you all enjoy! lowkey kind of nervous to post this but ah fuck it
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean/Nico Minoru, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 42





	the lover series

**Author's Note:**

> this chapter takes place hours after the (redux) battle with morgan in 3x10.
> 
> also, this is more of a set up for the next four parts but that doesn't make it any less special or important, i'm really proud of it and i hope it fufills all your gertchase desires hehehe.

Chase feels like he’s in hell. Not the literal hell they were in just a day ago, but his own personal inferno.

The night was nothing but eventful. They defeated Morgan...sans Chase, because he got the lights punched out of him by  _ himself _ . Crazy shit. He was blacked out on the floor for the entire battle. When he came to and realized they had won, he forced himself up off the floor and walked down the Hostel stairs, only to find an older version of himself dying in Gert’s arms. 

So while Chase is still trying to wrap his mind around all of that, the cherry on top of this messy sundae is Gert. 

Gert, Gert, Gert. He loves her so much—that’s undeniable, but he’s pretty sure she might drive him to insanity.

Things between them were still so undefined. Before Morgan showed up to royally fuck up their night, Gert kissed him and they had some sort of makeshift reunion. But that was it. She didn’t say anything after. All he got was a quick smile and she left the room as fast as she entered. 

Chase gets it. He hurt her badly, and he’s had to work hard to earn her trust back. He wants to work things out more than anything, but he also refuses to rush things. He knows Gert will come to him when she’s ready, but he’s never a patient person.

It’s been a few hours since everything went down. Once they finished cleaning up the mess from Hurricane Morgan le Fay, Alex went and ordered pizzas for the group...and for their parents, who were still roaming around the Hostel for some reason. Dale and Stacey were nice enough to go pick up the food, and when they returned, the kids were resting in the makeshift living room together while the parents sat secluded in the dining room. 

Nico and Karolina together are taking up the entire right side of the couch, with Nico cozied up in Karolina’s lap. Nico’s feeding Karolina small bites of pizza between quick pecks on the lips. It’s a relief to see them so happy. He’s never seen Nico smile so much, and so big. Molly’s on the other side, stuffing her face at an alarming rate. Gert’s in a chair next to her, across the way from Chase, and every so often, he catches her looking at him. They keep exchanging stolen glances, and every time Gert realizes Chase is staring back at her, her cheeks get more flushed.

It’s a fun game for a minute or two, but then Chase finds himself getting annoyed. Really annoyed. And by annoyed he means increasingly horny, because as much as he hates to admit it, watching Gert eat pizza while she stares him down is beginning to get weirdly sensual, and he can’t take it much longer. So, he picks up one of the last slices of pizza and walks away from the group and into his room in an attempt to calm himself down.

So much for not losing his mind tonight.

* * *

It’s 1am and Gert can’t sleep. Every time she closes her eyes, she sees Chase, or whatever version of Chase that was, dying in her arms. Over and over again. She’s been tossing and turning for over an hour, hoping that at some point exhaustion would just take her out, but nope. 

She doesn’t know how to process any of this. It wasn’t actually Chase, but it still hurt as much. The idea of losing him is something she can’t reconcile, and for that split second when she really thought that was Chase,  _ her _ Chase, it felt like the world was crumbling beneath her. If she lost Chase, lost him right now, she doesn’t know if she’d ever be able to forgive herself for being so scared of everything that loving Chase Stein brings. He’s the love of her life, and he doesn’t even know that. Because she’s too much of a coward to say it.

“I love you” are three words that mean so much, and for the longest time she told herself she couldn’t tell him to save her pride and came up with foolish excuses she used as a shield to protect herself from getting hurt. But she’s not sure if that’s worth it anymore, especially because she knows he loves her too. The boy she’s wanted her entire life loves her and only her, and she still hasn’t said it back to him.

Things with Chase have never been simple, and she’s struggled to make it to this point with him. That’s why willing herself to say something so huge, so poignant and brave seemed impossible to her. Until now.

Gert figures since she’s awake that she might as well see if Chase is too, because there’s nothing left to lose at this point. She sneaks out of her room, careful to shut her door quietly, making an effort to not wake the others on the second floor. She tiptoes to the stairs, but a faint noise coming from the bathroom area stops her in her tracks.  _ Fuck _ . So much for not getting caught. Looking to see who’s turning the corner, she expects to see Alex, or maybe Molly, who drank an overabundance of lemonade tonight. 

Instead she’s met with Chase, fresh out of the shower. He’s currently using a blue towel to dry his hair and importantly, he’s wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and no shirt, droplets of water still on his chest. Gert can’t remember the last time she saw Chase shirtless, but she knows even if she saw him like this yesterday she’d still be weak in the knees. It’s a view she’ll never get sick of. His body was sculpted by the Greek gods and she’s thankful.

Gert’s pulled away from her open gawking when Chase unfortunately realizes she’s standing there. “Gert? You okay?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. Just couldn’t sleep,” she fibs. “I was about to go downstairs to get some water when I heard a noise.” 

“I’m not gonna lie, you scared me a bit too,” he laughs, and Gert’s stomach twists more at the sound. He’s walking towards her, his towel now resting on his shoulder, which shouldn’t be so hot but it  _ is _ . “Well, ladies first.” He motions at the stairs, waiting for her to lead the way. Gert nods and makes it down the first few steps before she pauses. She swiftly turns around and presses her hand to his chest to get him to stop.

“Wait. I lied,” Gert admits. “I was coming to see if you were awake.” Chase looks down at her with furrowed brows.

“You were?”

“Yeah...yeah. Can we talk? I know it’s late but, I can’t sleep and I could really use the company,” she rambles. “I also just really need to talk to you.”

Gert can tell Chase is caught off guard. His cheeks are getting redder by the second, and she can’t tell if it’s because he’s flustered or if it’s because she’s being this forward while he’s half naked. Maybe it’s both.

“Yeah, sure. I can’t get my mind to shut off either,” he says. 

For a split second, Gert ponders on what he could be thinking about. They’ve had an eventful few days. He’s been forced to interact with his father on more than one occasion, spent time in the dark dimension, and then the whole thing with Morgan. So yeah. He could be thinking about any of those things.

But deep down, underneath all the uncertainty, she knows he’s thinking about her.

* * *

Chase thinks none of this is really happening. He must’ve fallen asleep in the shower somehow. Because one minute he was washing his hair, and the next Gert was holding his hand, leading them into her bedroom to talk.

He feels an immediate sense of comfort and familiarity when they enter the room. Once upon a time, before things went to shit, it used to be  _ their _ space, a place they could both go together to escape the nightmare of being on the run. It was their sanctuary, a place of refuge where they could bare their souls to one another without having to worry about what anyone else would say or think. It was nice, having somewhere to go when the days of fighting with their monster of the week ended, or even after long afternoons when they struggled to find any edible food. No matter how chaotic their lives were, when he and Gert were still... _ whatever _ they were, coming back to their really cool bed allowed the two of them the luxury of safety. 

Unfortunately, Chase isn’t too familiar with feeling safe. Fighting for his safety been an uphill battle since the first time his father laid a finger on him. But with Gert he feels protected, like the danger can’t find him. Gert once cursed the ground Chase scraped his knee on when they were just learning to ride bikes one summer. On days in middle school when his parents would forget to pick him up after practice, Gert would have Dale or Stacey drive him home. When his dad used the fistigons and threw him through the glass window in his garage, Gert picked every bit of glass out of his skin, down to the tiniest glass slivers, and held his hand as he cried from the pain. She’s always saving him, in even the simplest of ways.

Chase realizes he’s been zoned out when Gert coughs to get his attention. “Here, sit.” She’s sitting on the edge of their bed and she motions to the spot next to him. Chase feels like he might throw up. He shouldn’t be so nervous to talk to Gert, considering she’s probably his best friend in the entire world, and all he’s ever wanted was to listen to her speak for the rest of his life. But right now? He’s terrified, and not to mention  _ cold _ , because he still doesn’t have a shirt on.

“Can I go grab a shirt first? I won’t take long,” he asks. Gert chuckles before turning around. She sneaks a hand under her pillow and pulls out a shirt.  _ His _ shirt.

“Here,” she says, handing it to him. It’s a shirt he’s actively been looking for. “Sorry, I uh, kind of stole it when you left.” She’s biting her lip, eyes full of guilt. Chase believes she’s the cutest girl in the world.

He pulls the shirt over his head, flattening out the wrinkles with his palms. She’s back in her original spot on the bed and he joins her, butterflies in his stomach fluttering.

“Guess someone did miss me, and not just Lace,” Chase teases, lightly poking at her side. 

“Don’t start with me,” she replies. “Of course I missed you. I hated you so much which only made me miss you more, and so I slept with your shirt. It smelled like you.” Chase hears the softness in her voice when she finishes. He looks at her with wide eyes, smiling from ear to ear. He’s in love with the most endearing and sweetest girl in the world. 

Gert waves a hand in front of her face. “Anyway, enough talk of the past. Like I said, I wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m all ears.” He can tell she’s nervous. She’s doing that thing with her hands, that thing she does whenever she’s anxious, and she’s purposely avoiding eye contact. Chase doesn’t know what to expect at this point. If this is it for them, he’ll be devastated, but he’ll respect her wishes. 

He just wants the best for her, and if the best doesn’t include him, then so be it. 

It’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make.

“I don’t know where to start,” she mutters. “But if I don’t do this soon I think Old Lace might spill the beans.”

Old Lace has taken quite a liking to Chase ever since he came back, which is weird because up until recently, Old Lace at most tolerated him,  _ if  _ that. When the group rescued him and Karolina from the tubes, he expected Old Lace to eat him the second he walked into the Hostel. But instead, he was met with open arms from Lace, and for the first few days back it felt like she was the only one on his side. But he’s not sure where she plays into this equation. 

“Why?”

Gert takes a deep breath in, lifting her head to meet his gaze. He searches for answers in her eyes, but he can’t read her right now. She doesn’t seem sad—if anything, she appears to be as scared as him. Chase feels her reach for his hand, interlacing their fingers together, and in that exact moment he feels like he’s forgotten how to breathe.

“Chase, tonight was the scariest moment of my life. I could have died. Some other Chase, some other weird version of you  _ did _ die. In  _ my _ arms. And that would’ve meant I’d have missed out on so many things.” There’s so much conviction in Gert’s voice, her eyes now dead set on him. She’s serious about this, and if Chase wasn’t so terrified right now, he might be a bit turned on.

“I watched a version of you die tonight. You stopped breathing while my hands were in your hair. I quite literally watched you fade away from me, and I’ve never felt that kind of anguish in my life. And I know it wasn’t really you but, the idea of losing you in such a permanent way...I wouldn’t know what to do,” she says, her voice cracking with emotion.

“I tried spilling my heart out to you earlier, but you were too busy being Prince Charming or whatever. Too busy thinking about me so you weren’t listening to me. Which, if I’m being honest, is adorable.” Chase blushes, a laugh escaping his lips.

“But what I was saying earlier...I mean it when I say I can’t operate out of fear anymore. It’s not fair to me or anyone else around me, including you. Tonight solidified that.”

Tears begin to form in the corners of Gert’s eyes. She’s so vulnerable and it’s remarkable to see. He knows he’s lucky to have Gert in the way he does. She doesn’t open up to just anyone like this, and he knows he can’t take that for granted. When he left her and the group behind in an attempt to salvage what was left of his pathetic family, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever have the chance to know her in this way ever again. But they’re back now and she’s opening up to him in ways she never has before.

Gert grips onto his hand before opening her mouth to speak once more. “When you came up here that one night and said all those things to me, I got scared. I’ve wanted to hear you say all of that for my entire life. It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of, and I never thought it would happen. But it did.” She’s full on crying now, and Chase feels himself getting a bit misty.

“You were right in front of my face, telling me how amazing I am and how incredible I am. It felt like a dream, but it was real. You’re  _ real _ ,” Gert smiles at him, emphasizing the word real. She brings her hands up to gently hold his face in her palms. “You and me...we’re real. What we have between us is the most tangible thing.” 

Chase thinks he knows what’s coming next, but he can’t be too sure. He’s not quick to get his hopes up only to have them dashed again.

“I don’t want to spend another second of my life wasting my time being afraid of how I feel. The truth is, I can’t imagine doing anything in life without you beside me, Chase. It might terrify me, but it’s true.” 

Gert pauses for a beat before starting again.

“It’s always been you. It was you then, it’s you now, and it’ll always be you,” she says confidently, cupping his cheeks, stroking them with her thumbs. Chase can’t be bothered to hide his dimpled grin any longer.

“Yeah?”

“I love you more than anything, Chase. I have for as long as I can remember. I’m sorry it took so long for me to say it.” Before giving him a chance to respond, Gert effortlessly moves her hands from his face to around his neck, wrapping herself up in him. She leans in to kiss him softly, and he kisses back with the same delicate touch. They part quickly, because if they let it go any further, the current conversation would cease to exist. 

“I love you more,” he replies, matter-of-factly. He rests his forehead on hers, not wanting to break any sort of intimate contact.

“That’s impossible.” Gert sticks her tongue out at him. 

“I mean, the future me, or some version of me did create time travel to get you back,” he teases, pulling her into a hug. She smells like lavender scented body wash and home.

Gert playfully slaps his arm. “You can’t use that to further your argument, that’s not fair!”

“I’d do the same thing, you know,” he reassures. “There’s nothing I wouldn't do to save you.”

Chase knows those words carry a lot of weight. But it’s true. He can’t imagine a world without Gert, and despite all the unpredictability life brings, he knows he’ll never have to. She is his forever. 

“So, what you’re saying is, you’d become a character out of Doctor Who just for me?” she teases. Behind the facade she’s putting up, Chase can tell this is a lot for her to take in. I mean, another version of him  _ did _ straight up die in her arms earlier. It’s not hard for him to process, though. He knows that he would’ve done the same thing—he just hopes he’s never faced with that task, even if the time travel obsession is sadly a family thing.

“Yeah, but don’t tell Alex.” Gert giggles in response and he can’t help but feel a boost of confidence. He’s always loved being able to make Gert laugh, one: because she can be a tough crowd and two: because her laugh is undoubtedly his favorite sound in the world.

“Is it weird I’m jealous of another version of myself?”

Gert laughs and rests her head on his shoulder. “Kind of. Like I said, you’re  _ real _ and I love  _ you _ . Wouldn’t mind if you grew out your stubble like him, though.” Chase feels like he’s flying, living for these kinds of moments when they can relax and laugh with each other. Not to mention, he knows he’s never going to get sick of Gert saying that she loves him, but he can’t wait to spend the rest of his life hearing it.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Chase says, pressing a kiss to her temple. Gert smirks and looks back down at her hands while she starts to pick at her fingernails—another nervous habit. 

“It’s just...a lot, you know? I mean...that version of you quite literally died in my arms to save me. To save  _ us _ . And to know that someone loves you that much. Loves you so much that they’ll go through space and time to save you...it’s a lot.” Her last words come out as a whisper. The concept of love is all so new to her, and by extension, to him. But for Chase, it just feels natural. Loving her with every fibre of his being just feels right, like he’s been doing it his whole life. 

Because he has.

Chase understands her completely, and he doesn’t want to force the sentiment on her, but he  _ needs _ her to know she’s worth loving  _ that _ much. He already does love her that much. He has for a long time. 

“I get it. But for what it’s worth, pretty sure I’m giving that bearded Chase a run for his money in the love department,” Chase responds. Gert looks up at him with such earnest, lips curling upwards. She scoots closer to him, their faces now mere inches apart. It doesn’t take long before their mouths are pressed up against one another. Her lips are soft against his, and if he’s being truthful, kissing Gert feels like coming home. He moves his hands from where they rest on the bed and slips them into her hair. Gert lets out a soft moan before sinking further into his kiss.

“Do you want to…?” Gert pulls away, her hand trailing up and down his chest. Chase’s brain feels like it’s on fucking  _ fire _ . He gives her a soft peck on the lips and then on her left cheek.

“Only if you’re ready, babe.”

She raises an eyebrow at him, her mouth agape. He rendered the one and only Gert Yorkes speechless. He got her good. 

“Babe?” She barely chokes out the word, and for a moment Chase can’t tell if she’s offended by the pet name or if this is actually doing her in.

“Oh, did you not like—” Chase is cut off by Gert kissing him again, which gives him a clear answer: she definitely likes it. This time, they let the kiss intensify, and before his mind has time to catch up to what’s happening around him, Chase finds Gert climbing into his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck, giving him a mischievous grin.

“Say it again.” 

“Babe.” 

Another kiss on the lips. 

“Is that a yes,  _ babe _ ?” Chase knows what he’s doing now. He might be teetering a fine line between flirting and plain teasing, but if Gert’s hands reaching for the hem of his shirt is any indication, it sure is working.

“Yes.” She’s breathless in her response, and it sends chills down his spine.

Chase always assumed Gert would never be a "give me a cute nickname" type of girlfriend. After tonight, he’s sure damn glad she is.

* * *

Gert wakes the next day with a smile creeping across her face. It’s the first morning in a while where she feels like she can breathe. She can’t recall the last time she slept so comfortably. For a second, she wonders if she actually did die the night before, because things haven’t ever been this good. Things have never felt so right. 

She’s got her arm snaked around Chase’s waist, her head comfortably resting on his chest. She can hear his heartbeat. Their legs are intertwined beneath the sheets. The sunrise peers through the window, lighting the room in a dreamlike state. Gert wishes they could stay like this forever. He starts shuffling under her touch, and she peers up to look at him, making sure to take a mental picture of this moment. When he opens his eyes, she’s the first thing he sees. 

“Hi,” he whispers, and his voice is husky, like it usually is in the morning. 

“Hi.”

Chase presses a kiss to her forehead before slipping his arm around her shoulders, bringing her even closer to him. “You look beautiful this morning,” she hears him say, and she melts into his touch even more.

“Don’t get soft on me this early.”

Chase mindlessly twists his finger around a loose strand of her hair. The sensation sends sparks flying through her body. She lets out a long, gentle sigh, wondering how she got this lucky. “Get used to it babe.”

“I guess I’ll try,” she replies, nuzzling her nose into his neck. He leans down to kiss her sweetly. 

Gert and Chase have been intimate plenty of times. Gert knows that. But in this moment, the way they are right now, is the closest Gert has ever felt to him. Their love feels invincible in this room, in this bed.

“I could get used to this, you know. Waking up like this every day,” he proclaims. He envelops her hand, currently resting on his chest, with his own. 

“Me too.”

“So, just to be clear...we are us again, right?” Chase points between them. “I have free range to call you my girlfriend, correct?”

Gert chuckles, lifting his hand to kiss his knuckles. “Yes,  _ boyfriend _ .” 

“Well that’s a relief,  _ girlfriend _ . Anyway, now that we’ve cleared that up, what do you wanna do today?” Chase asks her, and for the first time in a long time, Gert realizes they have the option to choose. Today is seemingly their first day of freedom. No more big bads to defeat, no more parents harassing them to come home. They aren’t runaways anymore. They could do anything they want today. Go to the park, the mall, anywhere. But for now, Gert’s just happy to be home. 

She’s not sure if she ever understood what home really meant until Alex brought them all back together that one night. Home isn’t a place, although it can be. The Hostel is where she belongs, even if the living conditions could be better. Living in an underground mansion isn’t the most ideal situation for someone who suffers from anxiety. But she’s not complaining. This is the place where she gets to live with her best friends in the world. 

But home? Laying in Chase’s arms in their really cool bed, is home.

There’s no place else she’d rather be.

“I think I just want to relax today,” Gert hums, drawing imaginary circles on Chase’s chest with her index finger. “With you.”

“Can we still have fun while relaxing?” His voice is low, and Gert swoons. She looks up at him with a raised brow, knowing damn well what he’s referring to. Chase takes that as a yes, slipping out from her grip. She watches in excitement as he moves from laying beside her to hovering over top of her. His hands have found their resting place on both of her sides, his fingers grazing underneath her shirt on bare skin.

“We have to be quiet, the others will start waking up soon,” Gert says, wrapping her legs around Chase’s waist. Her breath is already ragged, and she hates that Chase has this much of a hold on her, but she can’t help that her boyfriend is this sexy.

Chase shakes his head. “Don’t worry. We’ve got this.” He starts to tug at the strings on her pajama bottoms, his movements eager and full of anticipation. 

But as always, she has to have the last word.

“Wait,” Gert says, sliding a hand up his bicep. Chase stops immediately, looking down at her with concerned, hazy eyes.

“You okay? We can stop if you don’t want to.”

“No it’s fine, I just...I love you so much,” she says breathless. He leans down to kiss her again, soft and sweet.

“I love you more, Gert.”

He says I love you so simply, like it the words were meant to fall off his lips. Like he was always meant to love her. In a universe filled with soulmates and true loves, Gert’s pretty sure Chase is the one she was destined to be with from the start.

_ “I love you, more” _ echoes in her mind. She momentarily thinks about putting up a fight, because that’s simply not true. She loves him more than he’ll ever be able to comprehend or understand. It’s not a theory, it’s a fact. But currently, her super, hot, incredible boyfriend who she loves so dearly is towering above her, and she wants nothing more than to roll around in bed with him all day. 

This time, Chase wins.

**Author's Note:**

> whoop, there it is!
> 
> i'm anticipating the other parts of this to be longer than this first half was, but i hope you all liked it regardless :) i miss gertchase so much and writing them has really helped with that.
> 
> ALSO the others will be featured much more in the coming parts, i just wanted to set gertchase up properly in this part <3
> 
> anyways, let me know what you think below and what you think might be coming next!!!


End file.
